How to get Olympic Tickets

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The 27th of July 2012 is a red letter day for residents of the fair city of London as it brings the biggest show on earth to our capital. The Olympic Games may still be a year and change away but if you want their arrival to mean more then congested tubes, packed restaurants and static streets the next six weeks between the 15th March and the of 26th of April are crucial dates for the diary. 8.8 million tickets go on sale during this period and at Weekend Notes we have put together a guide on how you can get your hands on a once in a lifetime opportunity - the hottest tickets in British sporting history, give or take a 1966 & 2003 final.

Ticket Availability

Given that current estimations put the population of London at around 7.7 million the 8.8 million available tickets may sound like a fair amount, but don't forget that these aren't just up for sale for the citizens of London. No indeed, only 75% of tickets are available to the general public and the millions from around the UK and the rest of World won't just be filling up every hotel room in the city for the televisions and room service. Just like you they are going to want tickets for the marquee events.

Luckily for the Londoners among us the huge burden this population increase puts on us is in some way rewarded with the simple fact that there is no chance that all 8.8 million tickets will sell out, remember Beijing where they actually paid people to attend? We won't be that lucky, but if you want a ticket, especially for one of the non marquee events - you are pretty much guaranteed to get one!

Ticket Prices

The prices of Tickets for London 2012 range from £20.12 to the slightly more pricey yet laughably apt £2012. The most pricey and therefore most prized will be for the opening and closing ceremonies, AKA corporate shmoozing, and the men's 100 metre finals where you will be expected to pay a hefty £725 for presumably less than 10 seconds of athletic mastery on the straight. However for those less willing to spend their monthly rent on a sporting event there is good news as according to Olympic organizer Lord Coe; 90% of public tickets will be priced at £100 or less, 66% at £50 or less and 2.5 million tickets at the bargain price of £20.

There is even better news if you happen to; have kids, be under 16, over 60, or a school child as 1.3 million tickets will be reserved with a special pay your age scheme. Teens and children 16 years old and under will be able to pay for tickets based on their age on the date of purchase which is great news for the 5 and unders. If you are over 60 you will only have to pay a flat fee of £16 and Boris Johnson is giving out over 120,000 free tickets to London's school children. The best news of all however is that if you want to see at least one event without having to spend a penny, mainly for logistic reasons the marathon, road cycling, and triathlon in Hyde Park will be free - come one, come all. Have a look at the official London 2012 website for ticket prices and dates of the sports that interest you the most.

How to get your hands on Tickets

This is the biggest Sporting event in British history and considering our heritage of inventing or at least adding rules to the world's favourite sports we better make a good show of it. 2.2 million of you, myself included, have already registered for information regarding tickets and timetables using this link and if you want to see as many events as possible, and you should see at least one, then there is no time like the present to pick up the tickets you want. Planning is crucial as events are located across the capital and even across the country so don't watch a Phelps VS Thorpedo showdown and expect to be in Manchester later in the day to watch the football.

Tickets hit sale for the public March 15th 2011 and if you want to get your hands on tickets for the biggest events and at the cheapest prices immediate action is your best friend. You can buy immediately but only if you use a Visa card, prepaid or debit, as the clever Olympic sponsors have spent more money than most of us can fathom making this the only valid payment method other than cash or check. Happy buying and I'll see you in the crowd in 2012.

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